Obedience training is a crucial part of building a strong bond with your dog – particularly important when thinking about puppy obedience training. Read on for our top five basic commands to help you learn how to train your dog.
1. Sit
Sit is one of the first obedience training commands that all dogs should learn. For a new dog, the sit command should be one of the first things you teach as part of their puppy obedience training. If you have adopted an older dog you can start teaching it as soon as possible.
Sitting is a dog’s way of showing politeness – it shows their submission and willingness to wait. When your dog learns the sit command they will know it’s time to calm down and concentrate.
How to teach your dog to sit
- Stand up straight in front of them with a treat and hold it in front of their nose.
- Slowly arc the treat over your dog’s head. This should follow the treat with their nose, and naturally move their bottom to a sitting position.
- As your dog begins to sit, say their name followed by the command ‘sit’.
- Once fully seated, verbally praise them and reward them with the treat.
- Practice and repeat regularly and eventually your dog won’t need a treat!
2. Stay
Once your dog has mastered sit, it’s time to move onto stay. This command is vital for your dog’s safety and can potentially save their life, as it can prevent them from running into traffic or getting lost.
How to teach your dog to stay
- Have your dog sit. Stand to their side, give the command ‘stay’ and then walk away.
- If they follow, which is highly likely in the early stages, take them to the original place and repeat.
- It may take them a while to understand, but once they do stay, return to them after 10 seconds, verbally praise your dog and give them a treat.
- Practice regularly. Eventually, your dog will understand and be able to stay without sitting first.
3. Lie down
Lie down helps your dog calm down, especially if they are over-excited or feeling nervous. It’s a great command to help control energy levels and ease anxiety.
How to teach your dog to lie down
- Start with your dog in the sit position. Holding a treat, lower your hand to the floor.
- Like the sit command, your dog should follow the treat and lie down.
- Once down, praise and reward your dog as before.
- If they don’t get it the first time don’t worry, just keep trying!
- Always start from fresh and don’t keep repeating the word ‘down’. This will ensure you don’t confuse your dog and will help them to learn the command better.
4. Come
This is an important part of your dog’s obedience training for when they are out and about on their favourite walk. It ensures that they will always return to you when they are off their lead.
How to teach your dog to come
- With your dog sitting, walk away and place a treat near your feet. Say ‘come’.
- Reward and praise your dog each time they walk to you.
- Eventually, they will associate the action with the word ‘come’.
- Again, it may take some practice, but be consistent. The key is to keep at it – and there’s no harm in giving a treat every now and again once they have learned the trick!
5. Fetch
Fetch is an extension of the ‘come’ command. The difference here is that your dog will be returning an item to you. This exercise is about establishing trust between you and your dog, which is excellent for strengthening your dog’s obedience.
How to teach your dog to fetch
- Throw a ball a moderate distance away from you. Most dogs will naturally chase after objects which are thrown, so don’t worry about teaching a behaviour here.
- Once your dog picks up the ball, shout ‘follow’ for them to return with the ball.
- At your feet, tell your dog to ‘give’ or ‘drop’ with your hands out in front of you.
- Successful fetches should be rewarded with praise and a treat.
With practice fetch becomes second nature to your dog, and provides a great outlet for physical exercise and mental stimulation. And they’ll have loads of fun doing it too!
What are your favourite obedience training commands with your dog? We’d love to hear all about it over on our Facebook page.
